deaconess en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˌdiːkəˈnɛs/ (General-American, UK)
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English dekenesse; equivalent to deacon + -ess.
Meanings
- A non-clerical role for women in some churches.
- (rare) A female deacon.
- A female servant in the early Christian church.
- The nun in charge of the altar in a convent.
- One of an order of women in some Protestant churches who nurse the sick and tend the poor.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| deaconesses | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Deriveds
deaconess house · subdeaconess · deaconess-house
Relateds
diaconal · deaconship · deaconry · diaconate
Translations (32)
de Diakonin (female deacon) · es diácona (female servant) · es diaconisa (female servant) · fr diaconisse (female servant) · fr diaconesse (female servant) · cy blaenores (female deacon) · ga bandeagánach (female servant) · nn diakonisse (female deacon) · cy blaenores (female servant) · nb diakonisse (female deacon) · mt djakonessa (female deacon) · el διακόνισσα (female deacon) · fi diakonissa (female deacon) · nn diakonisse (female servant) · pt diaconisa (female deacon) · pt diácona (female deacon) · fi diakonissa (female servant) · sv diakonissa (female servant) · cy diacones (female servant) · sv diakonissa (female deacon) · la diaconissa (female deacon) · cy diacones (female deacon) · it diaconessa (female deacon) · es diácona (female deacon) · fr diaconesse (female deacon) · de Diakonisse (female deacon) · grc διάκονος (female servant) · es diaconisa (female deacon) · nb diakonisse (female servant) · ga bandeagánach (female deacon) · de Diakonissin (female deacon) · fr diaconisse (female deacon)